Engineering Recruiting Rethought
Finding talented engineers that have the experience that matches your needs can be a frustrating process. Most engineering managers know precisely what they want and need in order to complete their team. However, Engineering Departments usually have their recruitment done by other departments. Most organizations have the Human Resources Department handle all of the recruitment needs. The HR department is given a job description, list of keywords, and maybe a list of ten questions for the candidate to answer, and HR is expected to find great engineers with this methodology. In reality this process alone rarely works. The skills and experience necessary for a person to be successful in a given engineering role are just too complex to fit into a simple recruiting template. The step to take to overcome this problem is simple. You need your recruiter be an expert on engineers.
Clearly defined technical needs and job descriptions can only take you so far. If you are a coach and trying to develop the number one football team in your conference, are you sending out your human resource generalist recruiter with a list of skills they must have to find your next quarterback? No, you send in a recruiter who knows your team, what skills and experience best match with your staff and vision, and has the technical background to really evaluate the player. The same is true in technical fields like engineering. Sending in someone with the knowledge of the field to evaluate the candidate will ensure you are getting the best fit for your team.
While you are sending out your talent scout to find the best talent, they can bring something to the table that is just as important. They bring excitement about your organization. Candidates need to be recruited into your organization. Look at Silicon Valley, they understand the importance of bringing excitement to the recruiting process.Top tech companies use their work environment and the image that their organization projects to lure candidates. How can you do that with engineers? It is simple, have your recruiter be someone that can connect to them on a professional engineering level.
When looking to hire an engineer, the first impression of your organization is critical. Having a recruiter who can speak their language puts your organization into a different class. You are an organization that understands and values its engineers. Having the ability to enter into a discussion about the position and develop the excitement needed is key to bring in the best talent. These positions are hard to fill because good engineers are highly recruited and valued. You need to be unique and set your organization apart as the one that they want to work for. Engineers want to talk with fellow engineers about what makes this position fantastic for them. It isn’t about compensation and benefit packages alone. It is about technology, what types of projects, and what skill sets are they going to use and need. The ability to excite these candidates will draw in better candidates. They are interested throughout the recruiting process and are more likely to accept a job offer. Candidates who identify with the role from the initial contact are more likely to want to join the team.
Recruitment for technical and engineering positions is not as daunting and time intensive if you have the right game plan. You need to have the right people who can speak the language, get the candidate excited, and hone in on the best candidates for your organization. When you rethink your process and get experts on your side, you will find the people you need quickly.